Free AI API Credits in 2026: Volcano, Baidu, Alibaba & Tencent — How to Claim & Maximize Quota

1. Summary of Free Quotas by Major Platforms (March 2026 Update)

Platform	Free Quota	Valid Period	Supported Models	Redemption Method
Volcano Engine	2 million tokens/day	Permanent	Doubao, DeepSeek	Auto on signup
Alibaba Cloud Bailian	1 million tokens	Permanent	Qwen3.5, GLM-5	Real-name auth
Baidu Qianfan	1 million tokens/model	3 months	ERNIE, DeepSeek	New users
Tencent HunYuan	1 million tokens/year	12 months	HunYuan-Lite	Real-name auth
Alibaba Double 11	70 million tokens	Event period	Qwen series	Limited-time

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2. Detailed Redemption Tutorials for Each Platform

1. Volcano Engine Doubao - 2 Million Tokens Daily

Advantages:

• ✅ Highest free quota (2 million tokens daily)
• ✅ Supports Doubao and DeepSeek models
• ✅ No concurrency limits, suitable for high-frequency calls

Redemption Steps:

1. Visit Volcano Engine
2. Register and complete real-name authentication
3. Go to “Cost Center” → “Vouchers”
4. Automatic activation of daily free quota

API Call Example:

from volcengines_sdk import Ark

client = Ark(
    ak="YOUR_ACCESS_KEY",
    sk="YOUR_SECRET_KEY"
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="doubao-pro-32k",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)

Important Notes:

• ⚠️ Free quota resets daily, doesn’t accumulate
• ⚠️ Overage charged at rate (Doubao-pro: ¥0.8/million tokens input)
• ⚠️ Supports international credit cards and PayPal

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2. Alibaba Cloud Bailian - 1 Million Permanent Quota

Advantages:

• ✅ Permanent validity, never expires
• ✅ Supports Qwen3.5, GLM-5, MiniMax and more
• ✅ New CodingPlan bundle with model switching

Redemption Steps:

1. Visit Alibaba Cloud Bailian
2. Register Alibaba Cloud account and complete real-name auth
3. Go to “Model Marketplace” → Select any model
4. Click “Free Trial” to activate quota

API Call Example:

from dashscope import Generation

response = Generation.call(
    model='qwen-plus',
    messages=[{'role': 'user', 'content': 'Hello'}]
)
print(response.output.text)

Important Notes:

• ⚠️ 1 million tokens permanent, new users only
• ⚠️ Can claim additional 70 million tokens during Double 11 (limited-time)
• ⚠️ Cloud servers start from ¥38/year

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3. Baidu Qianfan - 1 Million Tokens Per Model

Advantages:

• ✅ 1 million tokens for each model
• ✅ Supports ERNIE, DeepSeek and more
• ✅ 3-month validity, ample testing period

Redemption Steps:

1. Visit Baidu Qianfan
2. Register Baidu account and verify identity
3. Go to “Application Integration” → Create application
4. Claim free tokens in “Quota Center”

API Call Example:

import qianfan

client = qianfan.ChatCompletion(
    ak="YOUR_ACCESS_KEY",
    sk="YOUR_SECRET_KEY"
)

response = client.do(
    model="ERNIE-Speed-8K",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]
)
print(response.body['result'])

Important Notes:

• ⚠️ Each model has independent quota calculation
• ⚠️ 3-month validity, expires and resets
• ⚠️ Standard pricing: ¥5/million tokens

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4. Tencent HunYuan - 1 Million Tokens/Year

Advantages:

• ✅ Valid for 12 months
• ✅ HunYuan-Lite directly free
• ✅ Suitable for long-term project development

Redemption Steps:

1. Visit Tencent HunYuan
2. Register Tencent Cloud account and verify identity
3. Go to “Console” → “Free Quota”
4. Activate free tokens

API Call Example:

from tencentcloud.common import credential
from tencentcloud.hunyuan.v20230901 import hunyuan_client

cred = credential.Credential("SECRET_ID", "SECRET_KEY")
client = hunyuan_client.HunyuanClient(cred, "ap-guangzhou")

response = client.ChatCompletions({
    "Model": "hunyuan-lite",
    "Messages": [{"Role": "user", "Content": "Hello"}]
})
print(response.Choices[0].Message.Content)

Important Notes:

• ⚠️ Free tier has concurrency limits (TPM/RPM)
• ⚠️ HunYuan-Standard 55% discount, check performance
• ⚠️ Suitable for low-frequency long-period projects

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3. Hidden Benefits and Special Channels

1. GitHub Student Pack

• Quota: Additional tokens from multiple platforms
• Redemption: GitHub Student Developer Pack
• Includes: Azure OpenAI, DigitalOcean, etc.

2. Open Source Project Sponsorship

• Hugging Face: Monthly free inference quota
• ModelScope: Alibaba free model trials
• Replicate: $5 free credits for new users

3. Aggregation Platforms

• 硅基流动: Access dozens of models with one account
• 53AI: Some models have free quotas
• FreeLLM-API-KeyHub: Open-source project organizing free channels

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4. Pitfalls Guide: Hidden Limitations in Free Quotas

1. Concurrency Limits (TPM/RPM)

• TPM: Tokens Per Minute limit
• RPM: Requests Per Minute limit
• Solution: Batch processing or buy additional quota

2. Model Performance Differences

• Free models may be “lite” versions
• Long text comprehension may be limited
• Multi-turn conversation quality may suffer

3. Expiration Traps

• Some quotas expire in 3 months
• Not cumulative, not transferable
• Recommendation: Use soon-to-expire quotas first

4. Long-Text Costs

• Processing ultra-long texts (e.g., 380k characters)
• Need models supporting 256k context window
• Otherwise, chunking multiplies costs

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5. Value Recommendations: Choose by Scenario

Use Case	Recommended Platform	Reason
High-Frequency Calls	Volcano Engine	2M daily tokens, unlimited concurrency
Long-Term Projects	Tencent HunYuan	12-month validity, stable
Multi-Model Testing	Alibaba Bailian	Qwen, GLM, MiniMax, etc.
Baidu Ecosystem	Baidu Qianfan	1M per model, long test period
Student Development	GitHub Student Pack	Extra benefits, multi-platform

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6. Summary: How to Maximize Free Quotas?

1. Multi-Platform Registration: Distribute usage, avoid single-platform overages
2. Use Expiring Quotas First: Baidu 3 months > Volcano daily reset
3. Monitor Usage: Set alerts to avoid unexpected charges
4. Choose Suitable Models: Light versions for simple tasks, flagship for complex
5. Watch for Promotions: Double 11, anniversaries often have extra bonuses

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7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Can free quotas be stacked? A: Not within same platform, but register separately on multiple platforms.

Q: How is billing after free quota exhausted? A: Pay-as-you-go, varies by platform (¥0.8-18/million tokens).

Q: Do free quotas support commercial use? A: Most do, but check platform terms of service.

Q: How to monitor token usage? A: Each platform has usage statistics in console, recommend setting daily alerts.

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Final Reminder: Free quotas are customer acquisition strategies and may change anytime. Claim early and use them, while keeping up with official announcements!

Reference Materials:

• Volcano Engine Pricing
• Alibaba Cloud Bailian
• Baidu Qianfan
• Tencent HunYuan
• 2026 LLM API Free Quota Summary